Nutrition Security Surveillance of City of Atlanta Convenience Stores: Assessment Tool

Healthy food access remains a top public health priority. Collecting an accurate and feasible assessment of in-store settings is important to inform local officials and organizations as they consider ways to improve healthy food access for their communities. This data collection tool was developed for a large-scale surveillance of the healthfulness of food and beverages within small-format food retailers, like convenience/corner stores, gas-marts, pharmacies, and dollar stores, across Atlanta, GA, USA. The purpose of the tool is to offer a brief (approx. 15 minutes) and objective measure of the consumer food environment (product, price, placement, promotion) for primarily on-the-go snacks and beverages. The tool was informed and adapted from previously validated store assessment tools and collected information on the availability, prices, promotional placement, quality (for fresh produce only) and shelf space of select product categories, including: sugar sweetened beverages, bottled water, packaged sweet and salty ultra-processed snacks, and fresh produce. Specific food and beverage products chosen for the tool were informed from previous sources prioritizing products most offered in small format food stores. Product brands and sizes were also updated after a round of field testing in the Atlanta Metro. In addition, several store characteristics, such as store type, and number of registers and aisles, were collected to provide a better understanding of the store environment.